Who We Are

DWELL DIFFERENTLY CO-FOUNDERS

Sisters. Friends. Jesus peeps. That's us.

We’re Natalie and Vera—sisters from a big fat family of seven with so many similarities. We look the same—no we aren’t twins! We love the same food—homemade tortillas with LOADS of butter. And we share the same passion—helping people connect with God through his Word. That’s why we do what we do over here, showing up each month, memorizing a new verse. We talk about it on our weekly podcasts and devos and on Instagram every day… BECAUSE, we really believe that the God of the universe loves us and has spoken to us in the Bible. And when we are in it, we can know him and experience freedom and life and transformation. Won’t you come along with us?

— Natalie & Vera

Vera Schmitz, Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer

What up! I’m Vera, married to my college sweetheart, Matt, and mom to three boys. As chief creative officer of Dwell Differently, I love watching how a verse can come alive artistically, and then seeing how it impacts the lives of our team, followers, and members. I also wrote a book all about the power of memorizing the Bible with my sister Natalie: Dwell Differently: Overcome Negative Thinking with the Simple Practice of Memorizing God’s Truth. Thank you for letting us be a part of your walk with God—I can truly say it’s one of the greatest honors of my life!

Natalie Abbott, Co-founder and Chief Content Officer

Hey, I’m Natalie. I’ve got 5 kids and I’m married to Jason, who’s a pastor. So we are full-on Jesus freaks over here! I love summer and earl gray tea and pretty much all of the words! I write about God’s Word on the Dwell Differently blog and host our weekly podcast, among other things. It is seriously my dream job. I get to work with my ridiculous sister (who I also just wrote a book with) and tell people about Jesus! Who could ask for anything more?!

April Harper, Chief Executive Officer

Hi, friends! My husband and I live in Indiana with our three wonderful little children who keep us busy and thankful! There is nothing more rewarding and humbling than getting to watch the Word of God transform hearts and that is why I love sharing Dwell with the world! As a family, we love learning verses together to keep God’s Word in the front of our minds!

Lydia Roseman, Director of Operations

Hi, I’m Lydia. I was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, and I love my city. I love reading, writing, baking, music, fashion, plants, and animals. When I’m not watching dog videos on Instagram, I’m responding to the questions, comments, and concerns of Dwell members over email! It is a pleasure to get a closer look at how Scripture is blessing your lives!

Julie DeVault, Fulfillment Coordinator

Hi! I’m Julie and I live in St. Louis with my wonderful husband, 3 awesome kiddos and 2 crazy pups. When I’m not fulfilling orders for Dwell, I’m likely volunteering at my kids’ school or playing dinosaurs with my youngest. I’m so blessed to be a part of an amazing team that gets to spread God’s Word and bring encouragement to others.

Kayla Neuenswander, Fulfillment Assistant

Hi! I’m Kayla. I’m sister-in-law to Natalie and Vera and I have 4 kiddos. I was the very first Dwell member, and though I work in fulfillment, I consider myself Dwell’s hype man! I love Dwell’s mission and I’m cheering on God’s Word in the lives of all those who come in contact with Dwell!

WE BELIEVE

God is our EVERYTHING.

“You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” —Psalm 16:2

His words are LIFE.

You have the words of eternal life. —John 6:68b

He is FOR us.

If God is for us, who can be against us? —Romans 8:31b

We Value

TRUTH

God is True. His words are true, transformational, and life-giving. At Dwell, we’re committed to knowing them and helping others do the same. The Apostles’ Creed boils the Bible down into some pretty overarching truths that we believe.

Apostles Creed:

We believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
We believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church*,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

*Catholic meaning universal—all believers in Jesus Christ from all time

CREATIVITY

God is so, so, so creative! And we want to be just like him. We truly believe that smart, beautiful work matters. So, creativity drives all our design. We specifically create designs that help you recall what those little letters mean every time you see them. We do everything we can to help God’s words stick in your head and heart for years to come.

GENEROSITY

GOD IS GENEROUS

How could we even begin to tell you about all the blessings God has given us?!?! And we only give out of the abundance God has already given us. So we’re committed to a minimum “reinvestment” of 10% of all of our profits back into God’s work in the world. Here are some of our partnerships.

SEED COMPANY

For more than 25 years, the Seed Company has worked tirelessly to bring God's Word to the heart languages of the world, and they won’t stop until no one is left waiting to experience God’s Word. We’re supporting their work in Guatemala as they update and translate the Bible into the Achi language. This work started with Vera & Natalie’s great aunt decades ago. Read that story here.

OTHER MINISTRIES AND OPPORTUNITIES

We love to give away whatever we can to ministries, churches, and people who love Jesus. We just want people to know God’s words. Period. Have an idea or a need? Just ask!

PEOPLE

GOD LOVES PEOPLE.

We want to love and honor people in our every decision and in every detail. That starts with our team, flows through all parts of our production and fulfillment, and ends with our members and followers.

PARTNERSHIPS

We partner with Starfish Project for the production of our necklaces. Starfish Project helps exploited women and girls experience freedom, establish independence and develop careers.

DIGNITY IN FULFILLMENT

All of our fulfillment is done locally by Project CU. They provide dignified employment for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

FAIR AND LOCAL PRODUCTION

All of our products are either ethically sourced, made in the USA/Canada, or sourced locally. We are committed to the just production and fair treatment of every person’s life we affect.

ACCESSIBILITY

God is accessible. Jesus came to be with us. He doesn’t talk down to us, or expect to clean up our acts, or put on good behavior. Rather, he speaks on our level, takes us just as we are, and gives us grace and his own perfections in exchange for our imperfections. And there is freedom in that—freedom to be real and honest with you, our people. We bring our real lives, honest struggles, joys and sorrows into the conversation and invite you to do the same.